What are you reading this week? And what did you think of last week’s books? Please share! We’d love to know.
I started The Art Spy by Michelle Young. The looting of precious art masterpieces and other valuables by the Nazis is a well known story; however, the remarkable efforts of Rose Valland to save museum collection assets and work with the French Resistance is a wonderful new revelation to share with readers.
@Paula_Walters - Let me know what you think of The Daffodil Days. Now that I’ve finished it, I’m tempted to read it again, only backwards, to be in forward chronological order.
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FINISHED:
All Them Dogs by Djamel White
Booker Prize longlist 2026.
When you are running with a gang in Dublin death might be hiding in wait on any given day. One man’s struggles to find balance in an unsparing world. This slender novel is gritty and dark and feels unbelievably realistic. It’s a strong debut.
The Burning Origin by Daniele Mencarelli, translated by Octavian MacEwen—a young man from Rome, now living in Madrid is developing a reputation as a creator of designer furniture. On a trip back home he meets up with his best buddies and discovers that his exposure to a larger world has changed both his perspectives and possibly the oldest relationships of his life. Maybe all he has left are memories.
Helen of Nowhere by Makenna Goodman
Booker Prize 2026 longlist
Opening sentences: “I think it’s okay to tell a woman she’s beautiful once a year. Any more than that and her life will be about being beautiful entirely. Anything less and she’ll feel a lack of love and attention. My wife always said I never told her she was beautiful enough. But like I said, I don’t think it’s good for women.”
This book is a strange, experimental, and philosophical exploration of a displaced academic and his failed marriage [hmm, no wonder]. The man is left trying to understand why and whether it matters. He is visited by an ethereal realtor in a house where he receives a message about the costs of happiness. Another reader described it as a cross between Mrs Dalloway and A Christmas Carol—seems pretty apt to me. I can only hope this one doesn’t win the prize.
American Alt: A True Story of Madness and Friendship in a Fractured Country by Chris Lockhart. read by John Chancer and Todd Kramer—When author Chris Lockhart received a call from Michael, a friend since 8th grade, he embarked on a totally unexpected journey into schizophrenia and DID (what used to be called multiple personality disorder.) Michael had been court committed to Western State Psychiatric Hospital and his therapist recommended he put his story in writing in hopes of revealing his origin trauma. So he called his friend the writer. As the book progresses the reader becomes aware of more information about Michael’s background and his current state of being. It is an eye-opening foray into mental illness. 
Sacrament by Susan Straight—
Mark Twain American Voice in Literature Award longlist 2026.
This is a covid novel. Despite the six years that have passed it still made me anxious.
We follow two ICU nurses who are like sisters they’ve known one another for so long. One is married with a son and the other is a widow with a daughter. Separation from family is hard on all of them as they are secluded in RVs. Because of constant exposure to the virus it is never safe for them to be at home. During this time various characters find themselves on unexpected, emotional missions for good reasons but with sometimes unpleasant outcomes.
This is a love story to the caregivers of all different types. I felt so much for these characters as they gave their best for humanity.
NOW READING:
The Things We Never Say by Elizabeth Strout, read by Robert Petkoff.
Booker Prize longlist 2026.
Fruit Fly by Josh Silver
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Carl Sagan’s Contact is my current read. I loved the movie but have never read the book. The selection for the book was motivated by the “book to movie” prompt for the current BookBrowse Reading Challenge. So glad I picked up the book - no surprise, so far it is even better than the movie as it includes some cool science-based explanations.
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I finished “The Creation of Half-Broken People” and gave it 4 stars. It was superbly written but I struggle to “get” books that do not come together until so late in the novel. It paints the scenery of Zimbabwe beautifully and I cared about the characters.
I started “This Here Is Love” by Princess Joy L. Perry today and it is more my speed. It is historical Fiction set in a time of servitude and allows the people their humanity and individuality.
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I finished Reset, a self-published book by Kevin Charles, and it’s one of the better ones I’ve reviewed as part of this program. The premise is that on one’s 50th birthday, one’s body resets to age 25. There are a lot of nuances to the reset that I wouldn’t have thought about that the author explores, plus he depicts a couple’s relationship perfectly (the man resets two years before his wife is due to). It would make a great discussion book.
I finished two others in that program that weren’t worth anyone’s time, in my opinion. For one, the author is all bent out of shape because some readers gave it a 5-star review while I gave it a (generous) 3. It was nothing but non-stop gang violence, no plot or character development. I could see how it would appeal to maybe 15-year-old boys, but …
I also finished The Wound is Where the Light Enters, an excellent memoir by former inmate Chris Young. At 22, he got sent to prison for life on a three strikes law; the judge was so moved by Young’s speech at his trial that he eventually quit his lifetime appointment to work to overturn mandatory sentencing. Young’s sentence was eventually commuted by DJT, at the behest of Kim Kardashian. It’s very well-written although it’s a tough read.
I’m currently reading another memoir in preparation for an author visit next week: The Irish Goodbye by Beth Ann Fennelly. It’s a series of “micro memoirs” - some chapters are a sentence, some 10 pages - but they’re all moving and very entertaining. If you’re looking for a short NF book to fill out your challenge list, this one is a good pick (it’s only 133 pp).
After that, it’ll be Should the Water Take Us by Stephanie Soileau for review, followed by The Vanishing Place by Zoë Rankin for the book club here next week.
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I’m reading Guns, Germs, and Steel. Always wanted to read it!
Kat
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Still reading War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy with BookBrowse. And still listening to Captain Blood by Rafael Sabatini for the BookBrowse 1000 Books to Read Before You Die Side Read. I wish I could have gotten ahold of the print version. I think I would enjoy it more. I’m also reading Sylvia’s Farm by Sylvia Jurin for my local book club. I did manage to finish In Broad Daylight by Harry N. McLean and recorded it on my BookBrowse Reading Challenge List.
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Reading No More Tears by Gardiner Harris and just got through the first section about talc. Infuriating! Why is talc still allowed in anything? It’s listed as an inactive ingredient in Aleve, something I’ve taken from time to time (I learned this before the book while looking up its ingredients). It’s truly sickening how they (and other corporations, like Monsanto/Bayer as I learned more about in another recent read, Toxic Exposure by Chadi Nabhan) put profit over people, with the full knowledge of how harmful their product was/is!
Which brings me to ask if there are any books out there that explains why humans act so badly, or rather, what makes some people have integrity (e.g., standing up to a boss, putting their job on the line to be a whistleblower because it’s the right thing to do, etc.) while seemingly many others do not (it seemed company-wide in J & J)?
Glad others wrote here about this book.
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KIN by Tayari Jones is a wonderful story about two young women full of warmth and enduring love between these cradle babies. The chapters alternate their stories with both characters present in many. Gosh, I felt their anguish and hope as they pursued separate pathways. Highly recommended!
I’m nearing the end of THE VANISHING PLACE, to be discussed next week. What a suspenseful mystery. I’m looking forward to sharing thoughts with others.
I’m in the beginning chapters of THE WATER KNIFE. Written in 2015 as speculative fiction, the story about climate change and water scarcity in the states fed by the Colorado River is relevant. Ruthless, greedy people do everything possible to control water while so many die. Politicians are bought, laws ignored, people harmed. Sounds too familiar.
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I tried that one several years ago, @Kathleen_H1, but didn’t get very far. I think my head wasn’t in a good space to read it at the time. Looking forward to hearing what you think of it.
Just finished “The Troublesome Book Club” for book club. Shades of a woman’s life in the 60’s. Now I am starting, ““Somewhere Beyond the Sea,” while dipping my toes into “John of John.” Hope “Somewhere . . . ” is as good as “The House in the Cerulean Sea.” Still having a bit of decision as to what my three choices will be for next month’s book club. I’ve narrowed my list down to 10 titles, however, I keep adding and subtracting almost on a daily basis. Makes me think it would be better to have less time to contemplate my choices.
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I just finished Mink River, by Brian Doyle - a lovely tale of a community and the threads that weave it together set in a Salish town in Oregon. Simple, deep and poetic, it was a rare 5 star read for me.
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Have two books going as my book club selection, There is No Place For Us— Working and Homeless in America by Brian Goldstone is SO upsetting, disheartening, infuriating that I can only read a bit at a time! Definitely worth reading (in small doses!). To counter — I am re-reading Under the Tuscan Sun by Frances Maye in anticipation of an upcoming Tuscany trip. The contrast between these two stories is stark!
Last week I finished This is How It Always Is by Frankl. Heart-breaking yet satisfying in many ways.
@Debra_L I so agree with you about Goldstone’s book. Some of the littlest things —things we would be able to walk away from — made all the difference, in the worst ways, to the families he was following. I would come home from my morning walks and recite the nearly unbelievable facts to my husband. I still recall the huge jump in processing unemployment claims at the beginning of covid in GA. 
An unexpected arrival of my husbandʼs family and a 2 day visit interrupted my time on Book Browse.
I did read 2 books to review:
THE LEMON TREE: An Arab and a Jew and the Heart of the Middle East
This was an excellent and extremely informative read. I knew that after WW II Israel was declared a place for the settlement of Jewish people in 1948. In high school I watched on the news the disruption between the Arabs and Jews of the 6 day war. I \was unaware that some Arab families were disposed from their homes and land.
This is the heart of the book’s plot. A young Jewish girl, Dalhl lives in an house that was told abandoned. Dahl accidentally meets and befriends Bashir who is an Arab. . The house in Palestine was built by that Bashir’s grandfather who planted a sacred Lemon Tree.
While a teenager Bashiir discovers that Dahl lives in his grandfather’s beloved house. Obviously this causes much friction between Dahl and Bashir.
The book describes all the hostilities and resentment between the two groups and the 6 day war. The plot includes the meetings between presidents Reagan and Carter with ambassadors from the regions for peace agreements. The book gave me much insight of the continuing conflicts.
My second read was THE LAST COLLECTION by Jean Mackin which was disappointing for me. It was about the fashion designers Coco Chanel and Elsa Schiaparelli. I was aware of the hostility they felt for each other. Chanel’s designs centered on simplicity and comfort. Schiaparelli’s were eccentric and had an avant-garde style with bold colors. I was hoping to learn about their personalities and life style, however the book just described their lives during WWII.
I found The Lemon Tree so informative. It really put into perspective the ongoing conflict. To be removed from one’s home and land—I can’t even imagine. This came up in another context for me relating to WWII and people just moved into fully furnished homes of the Jews that had been removed from the area. It is hard to imagine moving into a home that had been left behind with all possessions remaining but even harder for the people taken away, leaving everything behind and no concept of what they were heading into.
I totally agree. I felt exactly the same, it was totally barbaric!
I think this is an aspect of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict that few Americans know about, unfortunately. As a result I think many tend to oversimplify the issues at the heart of it. I sympathize with both sides, although I firmly believe violence is never the answer.
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I started Calamity Club. Wasn’t sure at first I was going to dig it, but after some serious sustained reading sessions, I am nearly 1/3 in, & enjoying it.
Also started Yesteryear on Audio. Fantastic narration. So far, I have a love/hate reaction. Still early days.